No Laughing Matter: When Odd Phobias Cause Real Anxiety

Phobias are extreme, irrational fears that cause severe anxiety and interfere with normal life. The word comes from the Greek term for fear or panic. Up to 10% of American adults and 20% of teens may experience panic attacks triggered by certain objects, situations, or living things.

Some common phobias are claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces), acrophobia (fear of heights), and arachnophobia (fear of spiders).

But some phobias seem so odd they are hard to believe. Some even seem humorous, like fear of teenagers or long words.

What parent hasn’t at one point or another experienced ephebiphobia, the fear of teenagers? And what lexicographical joker decided that the fear of long words should be called hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? 

Some “phobias” are invented jokes, like dustophobia (fear of dust) in the 1800s or LCC-phobia (fear of a London council) in 1902. (These are some popular slang words nobody uses anymore.)

However, unlikely sounding phobias like fear of ducks, paper, or the number 8 are real and no laughing matter for sufferers.

To compile a list of 20 strangest phobias, sources like medical sites and mental health organizations were reviewed.